Dead of Night
by mmmspike
Summary: *WIP* Season 7 AU - Spike returns from Africa with his soul (and is keeping it a secret). *Chapter 7 UP!*
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimers: I don't own any of this, although I wish I did.  
  
Spoilers: Up to the end of season 6.  
  
Reviews: Goodness yes! I thrive on reviews! Now, on to the story!  
  
  
  
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A cold breeze caressed her cheek and she shivered, pulling the weather- beaten black leather closer to her petite body. Holding the duster together with her left hand and using her right hand to pull her hat farther down on her head, Buffy started walking briskly.  
  
Stupid patrolling, she thought. Don't vamps and demons have the common sense to get out of the cold? Stupid undead people. Buffy made her way around the cracked headstones, making her way to a new grave. The slayer sat down in front of the freshly upturned earth, reading the name on the grave's marker. Samantha Collins, it read, 1985 - 2002. Buffy sighed and used her index finger to trace in the dirt. Bo-ring, she thought, yawning. Not a vampire in sight . . . and I really want to hurt something. I mean, I've gotta get my rocks off somehow. The corners of Buffy's mouth turned up in a half-smile, remembering Spike. Huh, I guess he's rubbing off on me . . . or was any way. That is, until he left.  
  
Her smile faded, her lips turning into a frown and her brow furrowing. Why did I have to think about Spike at a time like this? I have to get on with my life . . . accept that he isn't going to come back. Ever. End of story. Buffy buried her face in her hands and closed her eyes, attempting to clear her head. Come on Samantha, wake up already! The slayer rubbed her neck with her hands, working at the knot that was forming there. I miss him. I wish Spike was here . . . I could really use those hands of his right now. Wait! No, no, not thinking of him. I can't. Buffy got up and started pacing back and forth, muttering in frustration. "Why did he have to leave like that? I mean, okay, he did do something horrible and . . . and I get that. But he could have at least said something. I mean, is one little good-bye too much to ask for? He could have at least told me where he was going, left a note or something. But no! He has to be Mr. Big Bad Creature Of The Night and leave without so much as a 'See ya later!'. Grr! Why do guys always do that to me? They always seem to up and leave just when I need them most. I can't stand it when --"  
  
Her words were cut off as she was tackled from behind. Buffy rolled onto her back to face her opponent, a young female vampire in game face. She could see the grave she'd been watching over had been opened, and the dirt had been disturbed, obviously when the girl had clawed her way out. "Samantha, I presume?".  
  
The vamp answered Buffy with a hard blow to the stomach. Reeling backwards, Buffy struggled to regain her stance.  
  
"Geez, don't you guys take 'Rest In Peace' seriously anymore?"  
  
The slayer reached for the wooden stake she'd been keeping in the duster's pocket and grasped it tightly. "Don't worry, I'll make this quick" Buffy quipped, right before Samantha hit her with a hard uppercut, sending Buffy sprawling to the grass. Or maybe not, she thought warily. While off her guard, the vampire knocked the stake out of the slayer's hand, grabbing Buffy's throat in a strong, vice-like grip. Choking and gasping for air, Buffy's hands fumbled around for a weapon to use. Colors started flashing in front of her eyes, and everything starting going dark. Closing her eyes, Buffy felt herself slipping into sweet oblivion. All off the sudden, the grip on her neck was gone, leaving Buffy coughing and gasping for air. Wow, I'm really off my game. I wish Giles was here to help me train.  
  
Opening her eyes, Buffy gasped as she recognized the figure in front of her.  
  
"Spike?!" 


	2. Chapter 2

Buffy's heart started pounding like crazy. "Spike? What the hell are you doing here?"  
  
Spike inhaled deeply on the cigarette between his lips and grinned. "Well, that wasn't really the reaction I was hoping for. I was thinking something more along the lines of 'Thanks, Spike, for saving my life'. Again."  
  
Buffy stood, dusting the ashes off of the leather jacket. "I could have handled it . . . I was handling it. I didn't ask for any favors."  
  
He smirked at her and flicked the cigarette butt on the ground. "Didn't look that way."  
  
The two stood there in an awkward silence, unsure of what to say. "Where were you?" Buffy asked, wincing at her harsh tone. "Why didn't you tell me that you were leaving?"  
  
Spike sighed deeply. "I didn't think that you'd wanna hear from me . . . not after . . . after what I did to you."  
  
"Don't Spike. Just don't. I don't know if I can trust you again. I mean, I know why you did what you did. At least I think I do. But still . . . it hurts. You promised that you'd never leave, and you promised you'd never hurt me . . . why should I trust anything you tell me anymore?"  
  
"Buffy. Look at me, look at my eyes and tell me that you think I could hurt you again. I wouldn't, Buffy. You know me."  
  
She looked at him sadly. "I thought I did, but after this . . ."  
  
"Can't you trust me?"  
  
Buffy looked at him, anger and hurt mixed in her eyes. "I don't think so Spike. I just need time . . . time to think."  
  
"Fine then. And if it isn't any bother, I'd like my duster back."  
  
Buffy looked down at the duster she was wearing; Spike's duster. She'd worn it because it reminded her of him, and she really had missed him. But of course, she couldn't tell Spike that. Buffy removed the coat and tossed it over to him.  
  
Buffy's face flushed and she turned her eyes to the ground in embarrassment. "I . . . uh . . . it has big pockets to keep weapons in. I figured that it was the best thing to carry them in when I went patrolling, and it's cold, and my other coat's at the dry cleaner's." Buffy realized that she was rambling, and switched to defense mode. "This doesn't mean . . ."  
  
" . . . anything." Buffy looked up and found that Spike, and his duster, had vanished. Buffy shouted into the night air, frustrated.  
  
"What, did you decide to leave again? How long do you think you'll be gone this time?! Five months?"  
  
Buffy sighed and trudged towards home. She was weary from her close call with the vamp and her encounter with Spike. She just needed to think about why Spike was here, and what he was up to. He looked like he was hiding something, and whatever it was, it was big. Now all she had to do was to find some way to get that secret out of him.  
  
  
  
TBC . . . 


	3. Chapter 3

Buffy struggled underneath Spike, pinned to the tile floor. He looked down at her, desperation in his eyes, a pained expression on his face.  
  
"Why can't you love me?"  
  
Buffy was writhing, attempting to remove herself from his grasp. "Spike, stop!"  
  
"I'll make you love me again . . ."  
  
Buffy started kicking wildly, managing to land a blow that sent him crashing into the bathroom wall. He looked up at her, his eyes menacing and spiteful.  
  
She struggled to get up from the floor, but he tackled her, sending her sprawling. His fingers fumbled to open the drawstring that held her robe together, a sick smile plastered on his face. Using all the force she could muster, Buffy brought her hands up to his head, and pulled. Buffy gasped and drew back as she realized that she had pulled with so much force that she had literally ripped the skin off of his face.  
  
Buffy dropped the mass of flesh on the tile, staring up at the face of Spike, now only a grinning skull. She gaped in horror at the blood on her hands. His blood. Buffy closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she was in the alleyway behind the police station. She noticed Spike's battered and beaten body lying at her feet.  
  
"You always hurt the ones you love, pet."  
  
Buffy raised her bloodied hands to her face, and screamed.  
  
= = = = = = = = = = = = =  
  
"Buffy, Buffy, wake up!"  
  
Her eyes opened with a start as she bolted upright.  
  
"Dawn? What are you doing here?"  
  
"I heard you screaming. I was worried that you were hurt or something, but you were still sleeping. You must have been having a nightmare or something." The girl paused. "What was it about?"  
  
Buffy closed her eyes, relieved. A dream, she thought, it had all been a dream. But did that mean that seeing Spike last night had been a dream too?  
  
"I . . . uh . . . I don't remember now," she lied. Glancing at the clock on her nightstand, Buffy's eyes widened.  
  
"Aagh! Dawn, it's 12:30! Why didn't you wake me? I was supposed to be at the Doublemeat two hours ago!"  
  
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Buffy, it's Saturday, remember?"  
  
Buffy blushed, embarrassed. "Oh."  
  
"You know, you've been acting out of it ever since you came home from patrolling last night. What, did you, like, hit your head on a tombstone or something?"  
  
Buffy smiled and threw a pillow at her sister's head, who ducked, squealing. "Very funny. Look, I gotta get dressed. But do you wanna go grab a bite to eat for lunch or something? You know, kind of make it a 'Girl's Day Out'?"  
  
Dawn frowned. "Sorry, Buffy, but Janice is picking me up in a half an hour to go see a movie."  
  
Buffy looked down at the bedspread, disappointed. "Oh . . ."  
  
Dawn smiled. "But I think I can pencil you in for tomorrow, if you're not busy with your slayerly duties."  
  
Buffy brightened. "Yeah, that sounds great."  
  
= = = = = = = = = = = = = =  
  
Buffy sat on the sofa, deep in thought. Did I really see Spike yesterday, or was that another dream, she wondered, just like the one I had . . . well, this morning, I guess. That was just too weird for words.  
  
Buffy smiled, an idea coming to her. She walked briskly to her room, opening her closet door. Buffy took the box she kept in the very back corner of it; the one that contained Spike's duster, and opened it. The duster was gone.  
  
Spike took it, last night, she realized. So it wasn't a dream after all.  
  
Buffy shoved the box back into her closet and grabbed her coat, pulling it on. I need to talk to him. If he won't come to me, I'll have to go to him . . .  
  
To be continued . . . 


	4. Chapter 4

Spike paced back and forth in his crypt.  
  
'Time? She needs more time?'  
  
He smashed his fist into the wall, bloodying the knuckles and drawing a wry chuckle from his lips. He was acting like he had when he first found out that Buffy had come back from the grave . . . but this time it was -him- that had come back.  
  
'Fine! I've got all the soddin' time in the world!'  
  
He brought his bloody fist up to his mouth and sucked on it, plopping down on the chair in front of his small black and white television. He grabbed the remote next to him and turned the T.V on, flipping the channels until he found something he suitable. Spike relaxed, slumping down into the chair, enjoying the salty metallic taste of the blood (-his- blood, he noted without revulsion).  
  
Spike found himself growing increasingly tired; he had been up all night and most of the morning, thinking. His eyes drooped sleepily, his body weary but his mind still going at a mile a minute.  
  
'I wish she didn't have to find out about my return . . . that way. I mean, I had it all planned out!'  
  
He grinned.  
  
'But then again, when do my plans -ever- go the way I want? I remember Drusilla, and my plan to get her back . . . yeah, that worked real well . . . for about two weeks. Then she saw some other demon that caught her eye, and . . . at least I was doing something heroic. Savin' her life and all. Imagine if she'd caught me doing anything that could be construed as 'bad'! She'd probably have beat me to death, or stake me . . . or worse.'  
  
Spike thought about these things for a long time until, finally, he fell into an uneasy sleep.  
  
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Buffy walked over to the crypt slowly, unsure of her self.  
  
'Is this right? What I'm thinking of doing . . . going to do, is it too soon? I mean, I just found out he's back in Sunnydale -yesterday- . . . and the conversation we had was kinda less than comfortable, to put it lightly. Can I handle doing that again . . . being with him? All of those memories . . . but . . . he's hiding something. Something -really- big; and who knows what he's been up to for the past . . . months? He could have been doing anything! I mean, what if he got the chip out?'  
  
She froze, her heart pounding in her chest. She shook the feeling off, however, and kept trudging onward.  
  
'No . . . if he had gotten the chip out, he wouldn't have been helping me . . . I don't think.  
  
Buffy sped up her pace, dread settling deep in her chest.  
  
'I'd better find out what he's up to.'  
  
She reached the crypt's dusty concrete door and kicked it in, quickly entering Spike's abode. Buffy whipped her head back and forth, looking for the blonde vampire.  
  
"Spike? Spike, where are you? We need to have a little chat!"  
  
Buffy moved from the entrance, making her way around the crypt. She was starting to panic when she noticed the still slumbering vampire in the chair beside her. Despite her current state of mind, she found herself smiling.  
  
"Oh for God's sake . . . Spike! Wake up!"  
  
She shook his limp form, and he weakly batted at her with his hands.  
  
"Don't . . . want . . . go 'way."  
  
Buffy took his shoulders in her hands, shaking him harder. He finally opened his eyes and looked up at her with alarm, pulling her hands away from him.  
  
"Watch it, Slayer! You could give a bloke whiplash."  
  
He looked up at her warily.  
  
"What do you want, pet? I figure you didn't come here to tell me that you trust me now? 'Cause when you say a -lot- of time . . ."  
  
"I want to know, Spike."  
  
"Know what?"  
  
"What are you keeping from me?"  
  
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To be continued . . . 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimers: Of course it's not mine, you silly goose!  
  
Spoilers: Through season 6.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all the feedback, it makes me all warm and tingly inside. Like a nice cup of hot cocoa. All right, back to the story, where we left off.  
  
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Spike looked up at her in shock, not sure of what to say.  
  
'There's not a chance in hell I'm going to tell her about the soul. I've got my pride . . . and I never could stand pity. Especially pity from Buffy . . . I would never live it down.'  
  
He raised his eyebrow in a cocky manner.  
  
"I don't know, what -am- I keeping from you?"  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.  
  
"Spike, I didn't come here to play games. You know damn well what I'm talking about, so spill."  
  
"This is what you woke me up for? To ask me 'what I'm keeping from you'? Well, for your information, I don't know 'damn well' what you're talking about, so maybe you could clue me in."  
  
Her cheeks flushed and she looked away for a split second, embarrassed. Spike grinned.  
  
'She doesn't know . . . she suspects, but she doesn't know.'  
  
Buffy glared at him.  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
His smile grew wider. "You don't know a bloody thing, do you? You just needed an excuse to see me, you couldn't just admit -"  
  
"Shut up, Spike. I know that you're hiding something, and I came here to figure out what."  
  
He looked up at her, his gaze unwavering.  
  
"Yeah, well as soon as I figure it out, I'll give you a call."  
  
"You don't have a phone."  
  
"Well, then, I'll give you a lurk. Come by your house and - "  
  
"No!" Buffy looked at him with a panicky expression.  
  
"You can't, um, Dawn . . . she doesn't know you're back, and . . . I don't think she can handle it . . . right now."  
  
He relaxed, slumping in the chair.  
  
"Ah, the 'Bit. How's she doing?"  
  
She smiled despite herself, her eyes brightening at the thought of her little sister.  
  
"She's great. She started school a few weeks ago and she's -" Buffy stopped herself mid sentence, shaking her head.  
  
"Look, I didn't come here for a friendly chat. I intend to find out what you're up to."  
  
"And -I- intend to find out why you're so paranoid all of the sudden."  
  
"It's complicated, and . . . okay, I'll be straight with you. You were gone for, what, three months? I don't know where you were or what you were doing. I mean, you could have done anything . . . and you haven't been exactly forthcoming with the information."  
  
She looked at him menacingly.  
  
"I'm warning you, Spike. If you try -anything- to hurt me or the people I love . . ."  
  
"I know, I know, I'll be living in an ashtray. You might want to try a new threat sometime. It gets a bit predictable."  
  
"I'm just warning you . . ."  
  
Buffy turned and left in a huff, her long, blonde hair streaming behind her.  
  
Spike couldn't help but smile, his eyes fixated on her lithe, muscular form as she strode away quickly.  
  
'My little Goldilocks . . . let her hair grow back, did she?'  
  
He frowned, his mind turning to darker things.  
  
'Can't believe her nerve, comin' in here all high and mighty . . . assuming that I'm up to no good. I mean yeah, I -am- a vampire, big bad and all, but still! I didn't say one word and she just . . . she just assumes.'  
  
Spike sighed.  
  
'She doesn't trust me. No matter what she says, how much time I give her . . . that won't change. Give it up, William, soul or no soul, it doesn't make a difference.'  
  
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =  
  
Buffy stood outside of the crypt, thinking.  
  
'I don't trust him . . . he's hiding something, I know it. I don't know how he ever wins at Kitten Poker . . . he has a horrible poker face. He looked so guilty . . . whatever secret he has, it must be important, otherwise he wouldn't have kept it from me. I'm going to find out, that's for sure. The question is, how?'  
  
She trudged off towards home, deep in thought.  
  
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =  
  
To be continued . . . 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimers: If this were mine, I wouldn't need disclaimers.  
  
Spoilers: Through season 6.  
  
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There was a rumbling deep in the earth; and every animal and demon was fleeing . . . at least those lucky enough to know what was going to happen. Those that remained clueless felt it, the power pulsating in sharp waves, cold and hard. Every day it grew stronger, gaining energy and getting ready, ready for its return . . . to the Hellmouth.  
  
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"Buffy!"  
  
She jerked her head up in surprise, peering into the eyes of an exasperated Dawn. "Huh? What is it?"  
  
"I've been talking to you for the past five minutes, that's what! Yeesh, Buffy, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were stoned."  
  
Buffy's eyes were far away, glazed over. She wasn't listening to Dawn, of course. She was too busy thinking about Spike. Dawn looked at her sister again, frowning.  
  
"You -aren't- stoned, are you?"  
  
"What? No, of course not." Buffy sighed, dropping the fork that had been prodding at her salad for the last half-hour. "I'm sorry, it's just . . . things are complicated."  
  
Dawn mock pouted. "Well, this day out was your idea. You know; I'm starting to feel neglected here. Don't make me tell the school counselor! Who knows, we might get locked in the mall this time." She paused, thinking about it. "But, then again, that doesn't sound like such a bad idea. I've been waiting for that shirt in the Gap to go on sale, and if we're stuck in here long enough . . ."  
  
Buffy gave a half-hearted smile. "Dawn, I should apologize. I didn't mean for our day out to turn out so crappy. And I'm sure that it's not much fun having a one-sided conversation, me sitting here all comatose."  
  
Dawn shrugged, smiling. "It's not so bad. I mean, you did buy me some really cool shoes . . ."  
  
"Yeah, but still, I'm not much fun today. Shoes aside, I've been pretty lousy company."  
  
"Buffy, it's okay. I'm having fun, really. So . . . you mentioned that things were 'complicated'. Would it help if you told me about it?"  
  
"Dawn, that's really sweet of you to offer, but . . . I don't think it'd help. But thanks for the offer." 'What I really need to do is talk to Giles . . . see if there's any spell I can do to get the information out of Spike. I've gotta figure out what's going on with him.'  
  
"Um, Dawn?"  
  
"What is it, Buffy?"  
  
"I just remembered that I forgot to call Giles about, um, something. Do you mind if we head home?"  
  
"No, that's okay. I have some homework to do, anyway." Dawn wondered if what Buffy had to call Giles about was that 'complicated' something she didn't want to tell her about. She figured that, whether Buffy wanted her to know or not, she would find out. It wouldn't be that hard, she knew. After all, she'd eavesdropped on Buffy's calls many times before.  
  
To be continued . . .  
  
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Short, yeah, but next chapter, Buffy calls Giles. Won't that be fun? Stay tuned to find out! 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimers: This isn't mine.  
  
Author's Note: This is the new chapter of 'Dead of Night'. I -said- that I would finish the stories, but apparently some people were too busy FLAMING me to get the wax out of their ears. If you don't like this chapter, tough, I'm sick of people flaming me. They can all rot in the hellmouth.  
  
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Buffy entered the house, making her way to the living room with a sigh. She waited until Dawn went upstairs then picked up the phone, dialing Giles' number.  
  
She rapped her fingernails on the kitchen counter, waiting for the staunch British man to pick up. On the fifth rang he finally did.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
His weary tone of voice indicated that he had been woken up, and Buffy felt a pang of guilt for it.  
  
"Hi Giles, it's Buffy. Did I wake you? I can call back later if you -"  
  
"No, no, that's fine. I'm fine. What did you need to talk about?"  
  
She inhaled deeply before speaking.  
  
"It's Spike."  
  
She paused; she could practically hear Giles cleaning his glasses.  
  
"What about him?" came the worried reply.  
  
"Well . . . that's just the thing; I don't know."  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"It's just . . . I have this feeling. I think that something is wrong, that he knows something he's not telling me. He's acting really . . . fishy and stuff. I was wondering if there's a spell that I could do that would let me know what Spike's not telling me. You know, some way I could get the information from him, without him actually having to, you know, speak to him directly. I was considering beating it out of him, but he seems pretty set in his convictions."  
  
She paused, allowing time for all of the information to sink in. "Can you help me?"  
  
Giles sighed. "Well, there was the time when we wanted to make sure that he had the chip; the truth spell. Oh . . . but that would require Spike being with you in the room. There's also a various amount of assorted other spells that you could use to get the information out of him . . . I would have to look them up, of course -"  
  
"Right, right, I understand. It's just . . . could you call me when you've got any information? I'm getting kind of edgy around him, and I don't . . . know if I feel safe."  
  
"I'll try to find it as quickly as possible. Now, if you don't mind Buffy, I'd like to get back to my rest. I've a full day ahead of me."  
  
Buffy felt sorry, once again, for waking him up, but couldn't resist asking him something.  
  
"Giles? Could you tell me, just for the record, what time it is over there?"  
  
He sighed again. "Goodnight, Buffy."  
  
"But -" she stopped as the phone clicked and an empty buzz filled her ears. Damn. Now she'd never know when she should call and when she shouldn't.  
  
'Oh, well, he can't blame me the next time I wake him up.'  
  
= = = = = = = = = = = = = =  
  
Dawn sat on her bed, the phone dangling from her hand, limply.  
  
'Did I hear that right? Spike's back?'  
  
Part of her was furious at Buffy for not telling her that Spike had returned, while the other part was furious at Spike for what he had done to her sister.  
  
'I have to talk to him . . . see him. He's going to pay for what he did.'  
  
Dawn got off the bed and opened her door slowly. After checking the hall and making sure that her sister was nowhere in sight, she snuck into Buffy's bedroom. She bent over and checked under the bed, removing the chest of weapon's Buffy kept there. Opening it slowly, she found what she wanted and replaced the box.  
  
Hiding the stake in her coat pocket, she opened the window of the bedroom, landing on the roof.  
  
'It's time to pay Spike a visit.'  
  
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To be continued . . . maybe. 


End file.
